Hong Tongtian still felt that Xie Hu, who could easily kill Wu Tao, should be superior to a mere rogue cultivator in both talent and the resources provided by the City Lord's mansion.
Hong Tongtian stood outside for nearly half an hour before a person suddenly rushed in.
As the person approached, it turned out to be Hong Tongtian's youngest son, Hong Bo.
Hong Bo, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, looked considerably thinner and more haggard than before, as if he had suffered greatly.
However, his complexion was good, and he appeared much more capable than before, his cultivation also seeming to have improved slightly.
Hong Bo went straight to Hong Tongtian and whispered a few words into his ear. Hong Tongtian immediately reprimanded in a low voice, "These scoundrels dare to threaten me? Are they not afraid I'll turn hostile?"
Hong Bo replied in a low voice, "I told them so at the time, Father, but they insisted on thirty thousand mortal blood slaves, saying it's two spirit stones per mortal blood slave..."
"This matter concerns a deal worth six hundred thousand spirit stones. I dared not make the decision myself and had to return to report. I ask Father to decide."
Hong Tongtian nodded slightly and began to pace back and forth, clearly agitated.
After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Hong Tongtian stopped and asked Hong Bo, "Where are they waiting now?"
Hong Bo replied, "In the Crystal Stone Mountain within fifteen thousand li west of the city. There is a large amount of magnetic yuan energy there, which greatly affects the spiritual sense of cultivators, and there is very little spiritual energy, so few cultivators frequent the area, making it difficult to be detected."
...
Hong Tongtian nodded with satisfaction and instructed, "Good. I will go there now."
After speaking, Hong Tongtian looked at Hong Bo in front of him, his anger gradually returning. He then comforted him, "Bo'er, you have worked hard these days. Work hard with your elder brother, and you may yet enter the Nascent Soul stage."
He paused and added, "Consider Wu Tao. In terms of realm and background, he is inferior to you, yet he was able to defeat you. Why can't my son strive harder and defeat this inner demon that troubles you?"
If Wu Tao heard this, he would undoubtedly be amused. He never expected to become the reason for Hong Bo's drive to improve.
"Although there are many cultivators in Tongguan City who obey me, none of them are reliable. The only ones I can trust are you, Er'er, and Bo'er. Bo'er, you must make me proud..."
As Hong Tongtian finished speaking, he straightened his clothes and vanished from his spot in an instant. Hong Bo saw this and also retreated. In a moment, no one was left there.
It turned out that Hong Tongtian and his son were using their positions to traffic mortals from Tongguan City to the Blood Clan in exchange for a large amount of spirit stones.
If this matter were to be exposed, according to human laws, even a Nascent Soul stage cultivator would die.
...
Inside the cave dwelling, the door to the secret chamber finally opened.
A figure flashed, and a man slowly walked out of the secret chamber.
At this moment, purple light flashed, and You Meng immediately appeared beside him, looking extremely adorable.
"Heh heh, Core Formation. I've finally broken through to the Core Formation stage!"
Looking at You Meng by his side, Wu Tao suddenly threw his head back and laughed heartily, his voice resembling the roar of a dragon and the cry of a tiger.
Four years had passed, and Yin Yue had reached a realm equivalent to the thirteenth level of Qi Condensation for human cultivators.
You Meng's current realm was likely not inferior to Wu Tao's in cultivation and combat power.
The commotion created by Wu Tao clearly startled Yin Yue, who had been sleeping in the bamboo house.
Yin Yue leaped out and circled continuously around Wu Tao.
Wu Tao stroked Yin Yue for a while, his expression suddenly changing. He turned and walked towards the restrictive formation.
When he reached the formation, he saw dozens of sound transmission jade talismans of various colors fixed motionlessly within the restriction outside the cave dwelling.
Seeing this, Wu Tao's eyebrows twitched. He took out a jade ring and softly uttered the word "receive." The next second, all these sound transmission jade talismans flew into his hand in one go.
...
Next, Wu Tao began to examine them one by one.
Most of these sound transmission jade talismans were congratulatory messages from Core Formation stage cultivators living nearby. A smaller portion inquired if he was interested in a position change.
After all, in the vast Tongguan City, besides the guarding army, there were numerous other departments such as logistics, garrison, and law enforcement.
Hearing these contents, Wu Tao secretly rolled his eyes, but he dared not be careless. After all, these were from Nascent Soul stage cultivators. He could only respond vaguely that he had not yet made up his mind.
Wu Tao was also very polite to the sound transmission talismans from the Core Formation stage cultivators.
He did not believe that reaching the Core Formation stage meant he was invincible and the best in the world.
In the following days, Wu Tao began to visit the cave dwellings of several nearby Core Formation cultivators frequently.
He humbly sought advice on the issues that needed to be paid attention to after entering the Core Formation stage.
Since the matters Wu Tao inquired about were not secret, these Core Formation cultivators, in order to gain his favor, were happy to offer him some guidance in casual conversation.
This also allowed Wu Tao to benefit greatly in the process.
After a few such exchanges, although Wu Tao and these individuals could not be called close friends, they had at least become acquainted.
They addressed each other as "Daoist friend" and "brother," and their interactions were quite pleasant.
During this period, Wu Tao finally gained a general understanding of the underground world.
The underground world was vast, but no one knew exactly how large it was, and no one was foolish enough to measure it...
Even the most comprehensive map held by humans only recorded a small part of the underground world, a fact universally acknowledged by all human cultivators.
The explored areas were essentially human territory, while the unexplored areas belonged to other races.
Outside the human territory was extremely terrifying, as many powerful races comparable to humans thrived there.
And humans were merely one of the ten great powerful races in the underground world, with nine other races no less powerful than them.
This made Wu Tao, who came from the Nine Provinces Cultivation World, stare in disbelief and stick out his tongue in amazement.
In ancient times, the underground world was the domain of myriad races. Human sages, after arduous battles, eliminated several species and laid the foundation for the current thirty-six great cities of humanity.
Currently, all seventy-two great cities are governed by a colossal power known as the "Human Emperor Hall."
The age of this power was so great that no one could give an accurate timeline.
The reasons for its establishment were also varied, with some saying it was formed by the sages who conquered the human territory, while others claimed it was established millions of years ago when a supremely talented individual unified humanity and declared himself Human Emperor.
The current Human Emperor Hall, with the Human Emperor City among the seventy-two great cities as its center, rules the entire human territory.
The Human Emperor Hall has eight Violet Mansion stage cultivators who govern the entire "Human Emperor Hall."
In this regard, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the "Human Emperor Hall" is the official force of humanity.
What was even more astonishing was that the appointment of City Lords to the seventy-two great cities was based on the principle of the survival of the fittest.
Every hundred years, a public challenge was held in "Human Emperor City," and the ultimate victor automatically became the City Lord, enjoying the privilege of controlling a major city and wielding great power.
Speaking of which, the successful and perfect Core Formation in such a short time was indeed beyond Wu Tao's expectations.
As for magical artifacts, Wu Tao now possessed two: the "Myriad Swords Immortal Diagram" and the "Eastern Vermillion Bird Seven Flame Banner." Along with his natal immortal sword, the Early Dawn Sword, protection and defense were no longer an issue.
...
One day, as Wu Tao just stepped out of his cave dwelling, he was stopped by a familiar figure in golden armor.
This person was Mao Fan.
Mao Fan wore a half-smile, and Wu Tao felt a bad premonition.
Meanwhile.
Mao Fan sensed the faint spiritual pressure emanating from Wu Tao, and his body instinctively tensed.
His eyes were filled with extreme shock. He had some suspicions, after all, a top prodigy who could defeat a Core Formation cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage would undoubtedly undergo significant changes upon reaching the Core Formation stage.
However, this change was too astonishing. It was difficult for him to imagine that after only a few years, Wu Tao seemed like a completely different person.
Mao Fan nodded at Wu Tao and said, "Congratulations, Daoist friend, on successfully forming your core. Your path to longevity is promising, and you will surely have a place on the Core Formation Ranking within the eighty-one names in the future."
"The eighty-one names on the Core Formation Ranking are all prodigious talents. How can I, an ordinary cultivator, compare?"
Mao Fan replied in a low voice, "Yet, none of the prodigious talents on the Core Formation Ranking could defeat a Core Formation cultivator while still at the Foundation Establishment stage..."
Wu Tao shook his head. Regardless, he was being praised, so he couldn't argue.
The next moment, spiritual energy condensed at the tip of Wu Tao's middle finger, forming a small sword. The sword light was contained, and its purity was incredible.
Mao Fan was even more impressed upon seeing this. "As expected of a prodigy. Such pure spiritual energy is considered top-tier among Core Formation stage cultivators."
...
After a round of mutual flattery, Wu Tao and Mao Fan gradually began to discuss the real reason for his visit.
It turned out that Mao Fan had come to find Wu Tao on the orders of the City Lord of Tongguan City, and was specifically waiting for him here.
Hearing this news, Wu Tao was greatly surprised. With a heart full of apprehension, he followed behind Mao Fan, walking step by step towards the City Lord's mansion of Tongguan City.